A film or television production does not need one radio for every person on the callsheet. It needs a planned fleet: discreet radios the camera can never see or hear, enough channels to keep each department off the ADs' traffic, silent alerting for anyone standing near a live microphone, and a coverage plan that works on a steel soundstage, on a backlot, and on location.
How many radios does a film or TV production need?
Count departments and key roles rather than total crew. On a set, a radio belongs to a position, first AD, second AD, gaffer, key grip, sound mixer, locations manager, because that position stays constant while people rotate through it across a shooting day.
| Production type | Typical starting fleet | Common approach |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial or short-form, one to two days | 4 to 8 radios | ADs, camera, gaffer, and production coordination on a single shared channel |
| Indie feature or single-camera series on a stage | 10 to 20 radios | Separate channels for ADs, grip and electric, and the production office |
| Episodic television on a soundstage | 20 to 40 radios | Department channels, discreet earpieces near sound, and centralized charging at the production office |
| Feature on location with multiple units | 40 to 80+ radios | Per-unit channels, a locations and transportation channel, and a wide-area option when units split up |
| Multi-city or travelling production | Varies by unit | On-site radios per unit plus LTE push-to-talk so production can reach units in other locations |
These are planning ranges, not purchase requirements. Stage construction, the number of units, how far base camp sits from set, and equipment the production already owns or rents will change the final recommendation.
Choose radios by department
First AD, second AD, and set operations
The AD team transmits more than anyone else on the production, so prioritize battery life across a long shooting day, simple channel selection under pressure, and an accessory that keeps audio out of the room. The Motorola CLP1080e is a wearable, display-free radio designed to be operated by feel, which suits a first AD who is watching the floor rather than the radio.
Camera, grip, and electric
These departments work close to the lens and move constantly. Slim radios that disappear under a jacket or clip flat to a tool belt are easier to keep out of frame than a full-size portable with a tall antenna. The Motorola SL300 and the flagship Motorola SL3500e are both built around a thin profile with a stubby antenna for exactly this reason.
Sound department
Sound is the department most affected by radio choice. Any radio carried near a boom, a lavalier, or a mixing cart must be able to run completely silent, with the speaker muted to an earpiece and all confirmation tones switched off. Set this up during prep, not on the first day of shooting.
Art, wardrobe, hair, and makeup
These teams work between set, trucks, and holding, often just outside the stage. Straightforward license-free radios such as the Motorola CLP1010e, Motorola CLS1110, and Motorola CLS1410 cover this distance without adding another licensed frequency to the production.
Locations, transportation, and base camp
Base camp is frequently the furthest point from set and the first place coverage fails. The Motorola CURVE DLR110 operates on license-free 900 MHz digital and holds up well across a lot or a spread-out location. When a unit moves out of range entirely, the Motorola TLK25 uses WAVE PTX over LTE and Wi-Fi instead of local RF. A service plan is required.
Compare all film and TV radio recommendations.
Do production radios require an FCC license?
It depends on the radio. Productions routinely run a mix, and the licensing answer is different for each group.
- License-required radios: UHF and VHF business radios operating on FCC Part 90 frequencies, including the SL300 and SL3500e, need an appropriate business-radio license and programming before use.
- License-free radios: 900 MHz frequency-hopping digital radios such as the DTR700, CURVE DLR110, CLP series, and CLS series operate without a separate frequency license, which is why they are common on productions that move between states.
- Subscription-network radios: The TLK25 uses WAVE PTX service over LTE and Wi-Fi and does not require a separate FCC radio-frequency license, but it does require an active service plan.
A practical channel plan for a set
The single most common radio complaint on a set is that department chatter buries the first AD. A channel plan fixes that before it starts. A typical structure looks like this:
| Channel | Primary users | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Set operations / all call | First AD, second AD, and rolling calls that everyone must hear |
| 2 | Camera and sound | Setup, reloads, playback, and cart traffic |
| 3 | Grip and electric | Lighting changes, rigging, generators, and cable runs |
| 4 | Art, wardrobe, hair and makeup | Continuity, changes, and talent readiness |
| 5 | Locations and transportation | Base camp, parking, shuttles, and vendor arrivals |
| 6 | Production office and background | Paperwork, background wrangling, and craft services |
Privacy tones such as CTCSS or DCS reduce audio from other users sharing a frequency, but they are not encryption and do not make a channel private. Productions handling unreleased material should discuss digital privacy and encryption options during system design rather than relying on tones.
Keeping radios silent on a live set
A radio that chirps during a take costs the production the take. Silent operation is a configuration and accessory decision, and it should be settled in prep:
- Use a surveillance-style earpiece. A one-wire or two-wire earpiece with an inline microphone and PTT routes all audio to the ear and keeps the speaker silent. Motorola offers a swivel earpiece with an inline mic and PTT for the SL3500e, and comparable options exist across the CLP, CLS, DLR, and SL families.
- Turn off confirmation tones. Keypad beeps, talk-permit tones, and end-of-transmission tones are all programmable and should be disabled on any radio going to set.
- Disable VOX near microphones. Voice activation is useful in a truck and a liability next to a boom.
- Set the speaker volume before distribution. Program a sensible ceiling so nobody arrives on set with a radio at full volume.
- Give sound its own quiet protocol. The mixer and boom operators should know which channel to monitor and when to go radio-silent entirely.
Two-way radios are not an intercom, IFB, or comms headset system
This is worth stating plainly, because the categories get conflated in production budgets. A two-way radio network coordinates the crew. It is not a wired or wireless intercom system for the camera and sound departments, it is not an IFB feed for talent or the director, and it is not a full-duplex headset system where several people talk at once.
- Two-way radio: half duplex, one person transmits at a time, push to talk. Right for crew coordination across departments and distance.
- Intercom / party line: full duplex, continuous open channel between fixed positions. Right for camera, video village, and technical departments during a take.
- IFB: one-way program or director audio to an earpiece. Right for talent, hosts, and live broadcast.
Most productions run radios alongside an intercom or IFB system rather than instead of one. Plan the radio fleet for coordination, and budget the intercom and IFB separately.
Where radios lose signal on a stage and on location
Coverage problems on a production come from construction and geography, not from the range figure on a spec sheet. Test the hard places during the tech scout:
- Soundstages: steel structure, elephant doors, and dense standing sets can isolate one corner of a stage from another.
- Backlots and standing exteriors: the far end of a lot often exceeds reliable handheld-to-handheld range.
- Basements, sub-levels, and parking structures: concrete and depth create predictable dead zones.
- Base camp to set: the walk between honeywagons, trucks, and the shooting location is the most common coverage failure on a location shoot.
- Canyons, tunnels, and rural locations: terrain can block line of sight entirely, and there may be no cellular service either.
If a critical area fails a coverage test, the fix is usually a repeater or a properly designed system, not more handhelds. Learn how TWRG radio systems work.
Location shoots, second unit, and multi-city productions
On-site radios are designed for local coverage. Once a second unit is shooting across town, or a production is moving between cities, local RF stops being the right tool.
The Motorola TLK25 connects over LTE and Wi-Fi through WAVE PTX, so production, transportation, and a second unit can share a talkgroup regardless of distance. Network availability, subscription management, and talkgroup design should all be settled in prep. Many productions keep license-free radios on each unit for local traffic and use LTE push-to-talk only for the people who need to reach across units.
How to manage a production radio fleet
- Assign radios to positions, not people. Number each radio and label it by department so the handoff between crews is clean.
- Centralize charging at the production office. Multi-unit chargers make it obvious at wrap which radios came back and which did not.
- Issue and collect against a log. Record model, serial number, department, earpiece, and battery condition. Loss and damage on a production is a real budget line.
- Prep the whole fleet before day one. Program channels, disable tones, set volume ceilings, and test every earpiece before radios reach set.
- Carry spare batteries and earpieces. Earpiece cables fail more often than radios do, and a replacement mid-take is not an option.
- Decide rent versus buy by schedule. A short-form shoot may rent; a returning series or a production company shooting continuously through the year usually reaches the point where owning the fleet is cheaper.
Get a production radio recommendation
Tell us the shooting format, how many departments need radios, how far base camp sits from set, and whether any unit will be working outside local radio range.
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